Ladies and Gentlemen,On behalf of Nikki and myself, we would like to thank you for your patience while we were finalizing the AMV contest rules. There are some substantial changes so please be sure to read the rules thoroughly.We have already submitted the PDF with the rules and entry forms to our IT department to be posted on the site. As soon as I get the URL for it back from them we will edit this post and provide the direct link.

Thank you again and we look forward to seeing your entries!Warm regards,Michael & Nikki

{edit} The link to the form on the website has been added to the bottom of this message.

Please make certain to read the rules completely before contacting the Anime Music Video Contest Director with questions. There have been some key changes since the 2011 contest.

A request from the directors- When filling out your forms please remember we do have to read and enter your forms into a database this database is the same one we contact you from (hint hint). We are finding many entrants have questionable handwriting and it has caused errors and missed communications in the past. If your handwriting is questionable (ask a friend or family member if you’re not sure please) take the extra time to fill out the form on the computer. You can do this by copy and pasting the information from the entry form in to a word document (and Nikki will love you for this). We spent a lot of time last year backtracking and correcting our database from the flood of emails we received inquiring about an entry’s status. Most of this could have been avoided by a legible entry form.

The Contest: This is the chance for amateur and semi professional video editors to showcase their creativity and skills by editing scenes of animation from Japanese OVAs, Television, Movies and Video Games to the music selection of their choice. Then pit their creations against other editors to see how well they stand up in competition. While the music selection is important, it is the video content, and what is done with it, that will really make the creation a showstopper.

The Categories: Listed below are the Anime Expo® sponsored categories in which participants may submit their video creations.

Action/Adventure Entries into this category focus on action packed, adrenaline filled video.Comedy Entries into this category focus on a humorous video.Drama Entries into this category focus on strong emotional impact, be that love, grief, fear, etc.AMTV-Pro Entries into this category focus heavily on artistic style and extreme blending of visuals and sound with extensive use of Professional appearing visual effects and transitions. Videos entered into the AMTV-Pro category will be held to higher technical and artistic aesthetic standard. Only highly polished “Professional Quality” videos will be accepted into this category. FUN Entries into this category don’t necessarily fit in the other categories. It is here where Original content or seriously modified content videos can go.( A good example of this would be the “Wizard of Ozaka” or “Football!!” by Suberunker.) PLEASE NOTE: This category is NOT Eligible for the “Best of Show” Prize

The Awards: Listed below are the Anime Expo® sponsored awards in which Semi-Finalists video creations will be judged and awarded.

Best of Show Audience popular vote for the four main eligible Categories combined, (taken during the Live Show)Best of Action/Adventure Audience popular vote for Action/Adventure Category, (taken during the Live Show)Best of Comedy Audience popular vote for Comedy Category, (taken during the Live Show)Best of Drama Audience popular vote for Drama Category, (taken during the Live Show)Best of AMTV-Pro Audience popular vote for AMTV-Pro Category, (taken during the Live Show)Best of Fun Audience popular vote for Fun Category, (taken during the Live Show)AX Staff Favorite Anime Expo® and SPJA Staff popular vote for all Categories combinedCreator's Favorite Participating contest entrants’ popular vote for all Categories combined taken during the Live Show

Additional Categories: Third Party Sponsors may sponsor their own category, using their own rules, regulations and judging standards, as well as awarding their own prizes. They must submit to the Anime Music Video Contest Directors the category they wish to have created and the prize(s) that they will be donating for that category. Anime Expo® must approve both the category and the prize(s) submitted. The prize(s) should be in the possession of the Anime Music Video Contest Directors by no later than 5pm on the day of the general contest judging. The third party sponsor will determine the method by which the winner should be judged, either by the special judges, or by a panel of judges determined and provided by the sponsor. Judging by panel must occur during the Live Show. In the event that the third party prize is a cash prize any such prizes are to be administered by the offering party and will NOT be held by or given to the recipient by the AMV Contest Directors or ANY Anime Expo® Staff member (the only exception being if the awarding party is an Anime Expo® Staff member).If you wish to sponsor a category of your own creation, please contact the Anime Music Video Contest Directors at the addresses stated below (e-mail or USPS).

The Rules:1. Each Video will be limited to a maximum length of 7 minutes. Any submission that does not meet this criterion will be disqualified.

2a. Music Videos submissions via mail may be submitted in the following Digital formats:

Note: All digital video formats submitted to the contest are required to adhere to one of the following NTSC Standards; 480p, 480i, 720p, 720i, 1080p or 1080i resolutions at 29.97 frames per second (interlaced or progressive) progressive preferred*)) or 24 frames per second progressive. Videos submitted in 24fps will be converted to 29.97fps. Please also note that the 3/2 pull down conversion (to make 24fps video NTSC compliant for presentation) may cause entry video to appear jittery in fast action scenes. Please note: As of the 2012 Anime Expo Anime Music Video Contest The following submission formats at NOT accepted; Playable DVD, HD-DVD, Playable Blu-Ray(you can submit your file on a blu-ray data disk as a video file if the file is too large for a Data DVD to hold).

*- The final presentation disk will be rendered to Progressive. So it is in your own best interest to submit in progressive if at all possible. We cannot be held responsible if your entry is submitted in interlace and fields flip during the de-interlace process. We will do our best to prevent this but it has happened in the past where entrants will have flipped fields in some parts of their video but not others. Due to the sheer number of entries we receive, we do not have the time to go through and correct all of these errors. It is the entrants responsibility to submit a "Presentation Ready" version of their file in one of the requested formats. Please take the extra few steps to make sure your fields are in the right order.

Additionally please note: that as of the 2009 Anime Expo Music Video Contest; Tape media (analog or digital) is no longer being accepted. All entries mailed in must be on Data CD or Data DVD media.As of the 2012 Anime Expo Music Video Contest we are no longer accepting Playable DVDs as a submission source. It has proven to be too time consuming and at times problematic to rip then convert the files from a playable DVD.

2b. Contact the Anime Music Video Contest Directors if you wish to submit your video(s) via FTP upload or Online Delivery. Contest entrants wishing to use FTP/Online delivery solutions must provide the link to their video using a service such as YouSendIt, Rapidshare or other service of the entrant’s preference. Please note that if the submission site requires payment to download files from them (such as Badongo and a few others) we will be unable to accept entries from these sites as we will not purchase subscriptions for these services.

Please note: Anime Expo, The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation and or the Anime Music Video Contest Directors will NOT be providing an FTP URL option or site due to the multiple technical issues and previous unreliability of this option. Music Video submissions via FTP upload or Online Delivery Service may ONLY be submitted in the following Digital formats:

Files/Directories may also be compressed before uploading as .zip, .rar, .sit or .gzip (note: This is not recommended as artifacting or possible file corruption, though rare, can be introduced. Neither Anime Expo® nor The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation will be held responsible if entries submitted in a compressed format are corrupted or cannot be opened upon receipt. Compression of the files is done at the creators risk)Mpeg4 DV H.264 Accepted Audio Codec(s): PCM (Uncompressed at 48khz preferred)

Note: All digital video formats submitted to the contest are required to adhere to one of the following NTSC Standards; 480p, 480i, 720p, 720i, 1080p or 1080i resolutions at 29.97 frames per second (interlaced or progressive) progressive preferred*)) or 24 frames per second progressive. Videos submitted in 24fps will be converted to 29.97fps. Please also note that the 3/2 pull down conversion (to make 24fps video NTSC compliant for presentation) may cause entry video to appear jittery in fast action scenes. Please note: As of the 2012 Anime Expo Anime Music Video Contest The following submission formats at NOT accepted; Playable DVD, HD-DVD, Playable Blu-Ray(you can submit your file on a blu-ray data disk as a video file if the file is too large for a Data DVD to hold).

*- The final presentation disk will be rendered to Progressive. So it is in your own best interest to submit in progressive if at all possible. We cannot be held responsible if your entry is submitted in interlace and fields flip during the de-interlace process. We will do our best to prevent this but it has happened in the past where entrants will have flipped fields in some parts of their video but not others. Due to the sheer number of entries we receive, we do not have the time to go through and correct all of these errors. It is the entrants responsibility to submit a "Presentation Ready" version of their file in one of the requested formats. Please take the extra few steps to make sure your fields are in the right order.

Additionally please note: that as of the 2009 Anime Expo Music Video Contest; Tape media (analog or digital) is no longer being accepted. All entries mailed in must be on Data CD or Data DVD media.As of the 2012 Anime Expo Music Video Contest we are no longer accepting Playable DVDs as a submission source. It has proven to be too time consuming and at times problematic to rip then convert the files from a playable DVD.

3a. A total of four (4) Anime Music Video Contest Entries are allowed per team, studio, group or person. This change has become necessary due to the sheer volume of entries we have been receiving. Entrants wishing to compete in multiple teams, studios, groups and/or as an individual can enter a MAXIMUM of four videos. Any additional submissions will be disqualified. Please note: Submissions to the “Fun” category count against your four (4) submission limit.

3b. Only two entries per person/group/studio will be allowed, per category, to move on to the finals.

4. Video intros and exits must be free of any and all text that does not directly relate to the video content itself. This means no intro or exit overlays, bugs or similar devices. This includes the editor’s name appearing as credit on the screen as the music is building or fading. Specifically designed banners and titles will be inserted into the videos to present a uniform look for the contest. The creator(s) names and title chosen for the video will be cited on these banners so as to identify the video properly. [This rule is intended to ensure that every creator(s) video, regardless of talent, has a uniform "look and feel" for the contest thereby leveling the playing field for all entrants.]

5. The entrant’s AMV Contest entry(s) must be of sufficient audio and visual quality to be viewable on a large screen and audio system without significant distortion or other quality issues.

[What does this “must be of sufficient audio and visual quality” phrase mean?]In the past we have received videos that were terrific concepts, but when we projected them on a 30 foot screen as a test they looked like a big blur of color blocks; or the audio was so badly compressed it made our ears hurt. (This is of course a most extreme example and not the norm.) Regardless of severity, if we feel the video will not present well at the live show due to significant quality issues we will disqualify it. The reason we disqualify it is so that it can potentially be submitted to the contest again with better source material in future contests. Should you turn in such a video before the deadline we may accept re-submissions of a corrected entry presuming the re-submission can be received and reviewed by the contest directors no later than the original entry deadline. In the event a re-submission is warranted only one re-submission will be allowed per entry after disqualification. So it behooves you to not wait till the last minute to submit your entry.

6. All entries, regardless of submission format, become the physical property of Anime Expo® and will not be returned to the creator(s). So send in the best copy you can, but do NOT send us your original masters.

7. By submitting your video to this contest you affirm and agree to grant the contest sponsors and organizers an unconditional license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and otherwise utilize your submission without restriction, in entirety or in part, in print, on the internet, in exhibitions, advertising, media or wherever may be deemed necessary for promotional purposes.

8. Anime Expo® and its judging methods are final; prizes will be awarded only to those in attendance at the convention. Any video that is submitted will be entered into the contest. Anime Expo® will not ship prizes, though proxies may claim the prize for the author with a signed proxy form. Proxies must present this form to the Anime Music Video Contest Directors before the start of the general contest. Anime Expo® sponsored Anime Music Video Contest Award Trophies will be shipped to winners.

9. Each video submitted must contain at least 75% Japanese animation or video game footage. This is not a "live" video contest, nor is it for U.S. or other animation/video game originators, but these formats may be included in the video.

10. Each video must contain at least 90% music to video footage. Any video that falls below this rate will be disqualified.

11a. Any video deemed by the Special Judges to be a "Troll" will be reviewed by the Anime Music Video Contest Directors, and if upheld will be disqualified from the contest.

[What is a Troll?]1. A video that is submitted to the competition for the purpose of obtaining a ticket to the event, without regard for rules or requirements of the competition.2. A video that has little to no editing of video footage3. Any music video that has been accepted into the Anime Expo® Anime Music Video Contest in a prior year: Rule 11b lists the only exception to this definition of Troll that is allowed.

11b. Significant modifications may be made to a video that would be disqualified for the reasons stated in Troll Definition 3 in order to enter the current contest. However, qualification of "significant modification" is determined by the Anime Music Video Contest Directors whose decisions are final. Allowance of a modified music video into the contest must be requested via email prior to sending in the entry. The entry must be mailed to the contest on or before the postmark deadline to be accepted. The Anime Music Video Contest Directors will review the entry upon receipt and a final decision regarding eligibility for entry will be made at that time. If the entry is received, reviewed and rejected before the postmark deadline, the music video creator may, with permission from the Anime Music Video Contest Directors, resubmit the music video again with further modification for review/approval. As before, the resubmission must be mailed to the contest on or before the postmark deadline to be accepted. As entries are accepted or denied via a judgment call on a case-by-case basis, no submission of this form is guaranteed entry into the contest.

12. At it’s core, this is a music video contest, not a parody video contest. Music videos that are parodies in context and conform to all music video contest rules will be accepted into the 4 main categories. We have, after many requests from the public and creators, created the “Fun” category to showcase Parody and Original concept short videos. However the “Fun” category is not eligible for the “Best of Show” prize. The reason for this is that that, often times Parodies are wildly popular with the attendees but they aren’t, by definition, music videos. The creation of the “Fun” Category was to allow these creators a chance to get their works shown as well as to allow them a venue to compete separately. There is a “Best of Fun” award however, with it’s own prizing and Plaque.

[Parody Video vs. Music Video: What is the difference?]

Intent and the end result are what separate a music video from a parody video. A music video no matter how you look at it will always be viewed as a music video. Whether it is funny, dramatic, or action packed, a music video will rarely be confused with a different type of video, such as a commercial, trailer, or TV show. Occasionally there are music videos which stylistically parody different types of videography, and even other music videos, but they are still identifiably music videos due to the focus on music in combination with the video. These types of videos can be accepted into the competitions four main categories,(Drama, Action/Adventure, Comedy, AMTV-Pro).

A parody video is a video in which editing has been used to create something other then a music video, and the music involved acts only as a soundtrack or background element. Videos of this nature can look like music videos, such as Commercials, Trailers, opening/closing themes to TV shows, and more, but they focus on subjects other then the music and video relationship. Videos found to be edited in this format and not submitted to the “Fun” category will either not be accepted into the Anime Expo® Anime Music Video Contest or be re-categorized and moved into the “Fun” category at the discretion of the Special Judges in consultation with the Anime Expo® Anime Music Video Contest Directors. Any decisions by this body to re-categorize a video in this manner are final and not guaranteed. So if you want so submit a parody or original concept video to the contest, we strongly suggest you submit it to the “Fun” category. That’s what it is there for.

13. While we are aware that Anime Music Videos are a bit of a legal gray zone, Anime Expo pays ASCAP fees each year for all the music played during the convention. This has the additional benefit of covering the clearance rights for the music portion of the entries. However, this coverage covers ONLY the music portion of your video and ONLY its presentation at Anime Expo. This coverage does not extend beyond the presentations at Anime Expo 2012 or any presentations the creator may choose to participate in outside of Anime Expo 2012. To date, the American Anime Industry and rights holders have not formally presented any objections to the use of their titles in AMVs(to the best of our knowledge). However, this is NOT the same as a blanket acceptance or permission by the industry and can change at any point. Neither the SPJA, Anime Expo, nor the Contest Directors will be held responsible or liable should any rights holder elect to change that implied policy.

In consideration of participation in a contest, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the participant, on participant’s behalf, and on behalf of participant’s heirs, successors or assigns, administrators and personal representatives, does hereby COVENANT NOT TO SUE, INDEMNIFY, FULLY RELEASE AND FOREVER DISCHARGE SPJA, and each of their respective direct and indirect subsidiaries, affiliates, partners and related entities, their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, insurers, attorneys, shareholders and representatives, and each predecessor, successor, and assign thereof, from and against any and all actions, charges, claims, losses, costs, damages, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses) and liabilities of any kind or character, whether known or unknown, in connection with, arising out of or in any way related to participant’s participation in the contest.

14a. All mailed entries must be submitted with the Anime Expo® 2012 Anime Music Video Contest Entry Form Saturday May 5th, 2012 and ARRIVE no later than Friday May 11th, 2012.They must be sent to the following address:

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT SHIP YOUR ENTRIES VIA UPS!!!! UPS will NOT deliver to a P.O. Box and unfortunately the normal work schedule of the Contest Director conflicts with the business hours of the local UPS shipping pick up location so we are unable to go to UPS to pick up entries.

14b. All entrants submitting via FTP upload must also submit the Anime Expo® 2012 Anime Music Video Contest Entry Form via mail. Mailed Entry forms must be POSTMARKED by Saturday May 5th, 2012 and ARRIVE no later than Friday May 11th, 2012.They must be sent to the following address:

NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE CONVENTION, NOR WILL ENTRIES BE ACCEPTED IN PERSON AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS.

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT SHIP YOUR ENTRIES VIA UPS!!!! UPS will NOT deliver to a P.O. Box and unfortunately the normal work schedule of the Contest Director conflicts with the business hours of the local UPS shipping pick up location so we are unable to go to UPS to pick up entries. So if you ship via UPS your video will NOT be received.

15. All entries must have one and only one category selected on the submission form. We will not accept an entry that a creator has written “you pick” or any similar phrasing. We have had too many entrants who have done this or selected multiple categories, then complained when they disagreed with the end result of their category placement. Please submit your video in the category that best suits your intention when creating the piece. However, should you submit a video that is completely out of line with the category selected (such as a comedy in the drama or action category) our judges may elect to reclassify the entry. So please be as accurate as possible when filling out your entry form!

16. All Videos must conform to standards of decency. Videos containing excessive violence, explicit sexual behavior, or excessively explicit lyrics will be disqualified. Reasonable violence, brief nudity and adult language are allowed in context and moderation. While we are willing to push the envelope, we are not willing to shred it. For those looking for a good comparison/guideline as to how the above would equate to the “MPAA Rating Syatem” Consider the contest a soft R rating. Standards are determined by the Special Judges in consultation with the Anime Music Video Contest Directors; the decision of this body is final.

All rules, prizes and methods of judging for the Anime Expo® Anime Music Video Contest are subject to change without notice.

SPJA reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the contest if it’s not capable of completion as planned for any reason.

SPJA, in its sole discretion, further reserves the right to disqualify any person for (i) violating any of these rules, (ii) tampering with the entry process, (iii) gaining an unfair advantage in participating in the contest, or (iv) engaging in otherwise un-sportsmanlike, disruptive, harassing, or threatening behavior.

The Anime Music Video Contest is currently scheduled to take place Friday June 29th, 2012 and will be a ticketed event. Judging will be conducted via ballot at the Live Show presentation and the winner announcements will be made during awards ceremony which will take place at a rescreening the following day.

For ALL questions, suggestions, issues or requests for confirmation regarding the Anime Expo® 2012 Anime Music Video Contest please contact the Anime Music Video Contest Directors at amv@spja.org or via the following USPS address.

USPS and Fed-EX packages are accepted. DO NOT send a package with signature required. Packages may not be delivered by the deadline if signature is required.

PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT SHIP YOUR ENTRIES VIA UPS!!!! UPS will NOT deliver to a P.O. Box and unfortunately the normal work schedule of the Contest Director conflicts with the business hours of the local UPS shipping pick up location so we are unable to go to UPS to pick up entries. If you send your entry via UPS it will NOT be received.

Thank you for your interest, we look forward to another exciting contest!

DigitalPanther wrote:2b. Contact the Anime Music Video Contest Directors if you wish to submit your video(s) via FTP upload or Online Delivery. Contest entrants wishing to use FTP/Online delivery solutions must provide the link to their video using a service such as YouSendIt, Rapidshare or other service of the entrant’s preference. Please note that if the submission site requires payment to download files from them (such as Badongo and a few others) we will be unable to accept entries from these sites as we will not purchase subscriptions for these services.

Please note: Anime Expo, The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation and or the Anime Music Video Contest Directors will NOT be providing an FTP URL option or site due to the multiple technical issues and previous unreliability of this option.

Then why do you keep saying "FTP upload or" so consistently everywhere else in the rules? I'd think you could just change the wording to merely "online delivery", unless you have plans to resume accepting FTP submissions in the future...?

DigitalPanther wrote:In consideration of participation in a contest, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the participant, on participant’s behalf, and on behalf of participant’s heirs, successors or assigns, administrators and personal representatives, does hereby COVENANT NOT TO SUE, INDEMNIFY, FULLY RELEASE AND FOREVER DISCHARGE SPJA,...

Wait, so we're promising not to sue you, but we're also promising not to indemnify, release, or discharge you from liabilities?

DigitalPanther wrote:14b. All entrants submitting via FTP upload must also submit the Anime Expo® 2012 Anime Music Video Contest Entry Form via mail. Mailed Entry forms must be POSTMARKED by Saturday May 5th, 2012 and ARRIVE no later than Friday May 11th, 2012.

So, what is the deadline to actually send you the link to the video? Also May 5, or...?

DigitalPanther wrote:2b. Contact the Anime Music Video Contest Directors if you wish to submit your video(s) via FTP upload or Online Delivery. Contest entrants wishing to use FTP/Online delivery solutions must provide the link to their video using a service such as YouSendIt, Rapidshare or other service of the entrant’s preference. Please note that if the submission site requires payment to download files from them (such as Badongo and a few others) we will be unable to accept entries from these sites as we will not purchase subscriptions for these services.

Please note: Anime Expo, The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation and or the Anime Music Video Contest Directors will NOT be providing an FTP URL option or site due to the multiple technical issues and previous unreliability of this option.

Then why do you keep saying "FTP upload or" so consistently everywhere else in the rules? I'd think you could just change the wording to merely "online delivery", unless you have plans to resume accepting FTP submissions in the future...?

Yes we hope to offer FTP in the future..but it is wholly dependant upon our IT department making it happen.

Scintilla wrote:

DigitalPanther wrote:In consideration of participation in a contest, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the participant, on participant’s behalf, and on behalf of participant’s heirs, successors or assigns, administrators and personal representatives, does hereby COVENANT NOT TO SUE, INDEMNIFY, FULLY RELEASE AND FOREVER DISCHARGE SPJA,...

Wait, so we're promising not to sue you, but we're also promising not to indemnify, release, or discharge you from liabilities?

An interesting read on that. The coma is supposed to separate...That is the only real piece of lawyer speak we couldn't remove. Sorry guys.

Scintilla wrote:

DigitalPanther wrote:14b. All entrants submitting via FTP upload must also submit the Anime Expo® 2012 Anime Music Video Contest Entry Form via mail. Mailed Entry forms must be POSTMARKED by Saturday May 5th, 2012 and ARRIVE no later than Friday May 11th, 2012.

So, what is the deadline to actually send you the link to the video? Also May 5, or...?

File, May 5th, Form postmarked by May 5th but in our hands no later than May 11th. As was stated in the past, allowing the online submitters to provide links after the day others are supposed to have theirs in the mail gives a potential unfair advantage.